It has become our annual tradition, we are once again planning a motorcycle trip for June this year. The concept remains the same: strap a tent on our bikes and off we go!

We had five destinations on our shortlist, of which Norway, Wales and Scotland have already been crossed off. That leaves us with the Picos and the Dolomites. We have roughly mapped out the routes for both trips, and now it’s time to make a decision.

Question: which trip would you choose and why?
And for those familiar with the area: are there any roads we absolutely shouldn’t miss?

Option one: Picos

I haven’t been to the Picos before, but I’ve heard enough good things about it to rank it high on our shortlist. The biggest disadvantage compared to the Dolomites is that it’s a bit further before we reach our destination. Although the journey is just as important as the destination of course.

On day 1, we’ll be ride quite a distance into France, just over 1,000 km on the highway.
On day 2 (blue), the winding roads begin just below San Sebastian.
On day 3 (green), we’ll enter the Picos.
On days 4 (yellow) and 5 (orange), we’ll ride loops through the Picos.
On day 6 (red), we’ll leave the Picos and head east.
On day 7 (purple), we’ll take a detour through the Bardenas Reales, cross the Pyrenees and end the day just across the French border.
On day 8, we’ll take the fastest route back home.

Check out the detailed routes.

Option two: Dolomites & Julian Alps

The Dolomites are etched in my memory as one of the highlights of my trip to the Alps in 2017. So I don’t mind heading back in that direction again, this time taking more time to explore. Maybe add some Julian Alps too? Why not!

On day 1, we’ll ride to Campitello di Fassa in the Dolomites.
Here we’ll stay for 4 nights and take loops on day 2 (blue), 3 (green), and 4 (yellow).
On day 5 (orange), we’ll head east.
On day 6 (red), we’ll say goodbye to the Dolomites and head into the Julian Alps. Our destination is Kranjska Gora.
We’ll stay here for 2 nights and take a loop on day 7 (purple).
Day 8: take the fastest route back home.

Check out the detailed routes.